Trump Delights in Foxconn US Investment Hype Days after one of Taiwan’s largest companies announced plans to build a US$10 billion factory in the U.S., there is speculation that the investment could be tripled in the coming years. Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer and a key supplier to Apple, last week said it would…

US$3b Infrastructure Spend Clears First Reading The budget for the Tsai administration’s US$3.29 billion first phase of a major infrastructure project passed an initial reading in Taiwan’s parliament this week. The passage of the legislation for the so-called “forward-looking infrastructure plan” was marred by physical clashes in the Legislative Yuan as opposition Kuomintang lawmakers tried…

FDI in Taiwan Slashed, Investment from China Mixed Applications by foreign companies to invest in Taiwan in the first five months of the year was down 6% on the same time a year ago, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The ministry’s Investment Commission says 1,260 foreign direct investment (FDI)…

Panama Switches Allegiance from Taiwan to China Panama President Juan Carlos Varela announced on Monday that the Republic of Panama had severed ties with Taiwan and had established diplomatic relations with China instead. Panama and China announced that Panama now “recognizes that there is only one China in the world” and that Taiwan is part of Chinese…

Apple Partnering with Taiwan Firm for VR Apple is partnering with Taiwan’s HTC as part of its virtual reality development. At a major tech conference San Jose, California, Apple used the HTC Vive – the first VR headset launched by the Taiwanese firm – as part of a showcase of its virtual reality efforts, Central…

Emirates Sparks Furor in Taiwan Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, is facing fierce criticism after it reportedly banned cabin crew from wearing the Taiwan flag on their uniforms due to pressure from China, AFP reports. The Emirates cabin crew wears pins of their national flag on their uniforms, but a leaked internal email from…

Taiwan Court Rules in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage In a landmark ruling that paves the way for Taiwan to become the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex unions, a top Taiwan court on May 24 ruled in favor of gay marriage. The country’s Constitutional Court said Taiwan’s Civil Code, which currently says an agreement…

Hon Hai Eyes New Indian Investment Hon Hai, the Taiwanese multinational contract electronics manufacturer, is planning to build a new production base in Bengaluru, India, China Post reports. Hon Hai, internationally known as Foxconn, has been working with authorities in Karnataka in advance of the investment in Bengaluru, which is referred to as India’s Silicon…

US senators introduce bill to encourage high-level visits to Taiwan Six U.S. senators jointly introduced the Taiwan Travel Act on May 5 to encourage visits between the United States and Taiwan at all levels. The draft bill states that Congress believes the U.S. government should allow officials at all levels, including cabinet-level national security officials,…

Uber Returns to Taiwan Market Two months after hitting pause on its Taiwan operations, Uber is back running in Taipei under a new business model. The popular ride-hailing service surprised the local market announcing it had formed a new partnership with car rental companies. Uber suspended its Taiwan operations on Feb. 10 after incurring fines of up to NT$328.5…

Taiwan Business TOPICS

Taiwan Business TOPICS is published monthly by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, and covers current topic affecting business conditions in Taiwan, an Industry Focus section on a particular industrial sector, and other reports prepared by the magazine’s staff of experienced professional journalists.